In many electronic systems it is necessary to employ converters like DC/DC converters, AC/DC converters, DC/AC converters, DC/AC converters, or frequency converters in order to generate the currents, voltages and/or frequencies to be used by an electronic circuit, like, for example, a motor driving circuit. The converter circuits as mentioned before typically comprise one or more half-bridge circuits, each provided by two semiconductor power switches such as e.g. power MOSFET devices, and further components such diodes connected in parallel to the transistor devices, further active components like sensors or processors, and passive components such as inductances and capacitances.
The assembly of the converter circuit and also further individual active or passive components incorporated in these assemblies can in principle be provided as individual components which are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). There is, however, a general tendency to save space on the PCB and therefore to provide integrated semiconductor modules having short interconnections between the individual components in order to reduce switching losses and parasitic inductances.